Mowing Kubota BX24. Real tractor or a glorified lawn mower?

[Usta]

Not a BX24 but the smaller BX2660. This last summer I did major earth works on my back lawn with the loader and box blade. Moved and reshaped approx. 75,000CY. Took about 200 hours on the hour meter and I loved every minute of it. Could have done the work in maybe 16 hours with a real large bulldozer but would have lost out on all the fun. The machine is a worker but all machines have a purpose.

 

[sw03]

At times I think the BX24 is great and at other times I wish I bought a larger machine. Like today, it cannot break through frozen ground to save its life.

 

[bx24]

I very rarely use my bx24 for mowing so most of the 300+ hours are from digging, loading etc. As others have said, there are times when a larger machine would be nice, but the reality is that the costs and logistics (of trailering) go up exponentially. It gets things done, but it takes a bit more time than a larger machine ... then again I can get into tight spots and store the machine easier than something larger.

My biggest complaint is the single dumping cylinder. I plan to put a quick connect on the FEL but with only one cylinder, I will be changing that design to two cylinders (Like Deere or Massey)

It all comes down to what you want to do and how often - life is a trade off. To answer the specific question of the thread, this machine is a world apart from a lawn tractor. If my machine got stolen tomorrow, I would not hesitate to buy another one.

 

[Matt_Jr]

Ice is some strong stuff. Rumor has it, the titanic sunk cause of some ice..

 

[megaboz]

Personally, I feel that the BX is not muchmore than a garden tractor. I own a BX24 and it odes what I want it to do.

Now that being said, I have had the FEL bucket filled too much and have nose planted it going down a hill. I have been stuck trying to back up a hill with the FEL on withou the BH or coutner weight. I have also had it stand on one front wheel because the bucket was too full and too much weight to one side. And i have had the bucket get stuck in a pile of dirt before. Most of these issues are operator error, so I will take the fall for those.

For small projects with no time contraints or small work areas, it is simply great. THe hydraulics are a little weak. The breakout strength of the FEL is way too weak, I'm sure this is done to keep from ripping the tractor apart. But for the most part I have been happy with the FEL.

The worst part to me is that the BH is too slowwwwwwwww. You can basically only do one movement at a time, and this is a royal pain, especially if you are used to larger machines. It has more power when doing one thing then the tractor has the weight to handle. You can/will drage the tractor all over if you try to plow through dirt when diging a ditch, in hard soil you really need to curl the BH bucket to break the dirt loose.

I think it was mention that youhave some hills, with the BH and FEL attached it is VERY tippy. Again it is the size of the tractor that causes this fault, not the attachments. I have had mine in some scary positions and it has caused the pucker factor to go up.

The machine is slow in LOW, and I have found that it has no power when in HIGH (especially if it is cold). Also, on grass on a hill in two wheel drive is such a no-no, that it should be in your mind all the time. It sure will slide through damp grass like a bob-sled.

Now while long winded and obvious that a lot of the issues I stated are caused by operator error, they are things to be considered. I love my little BX, but do wish I had a bigger tractor at times.

 

[johann]

Glorified lawn mower ....No. I have a bx 2200, and I am really happy with it. it is built like a tank. I come from the other direction, I use large back hoes and skid steers at work. I needed one machine to do everything at my house, and it does if you keep things in perspective, Reg's 80% rule is right on. The back hoe will be torture if you are used to a large machine, I had the benefit of trying one before I even looked at Bx's, so there is my "20%" I was willing to give up. Since the back hoe is such a large expense I figured I can rent one for the few times I need it at home. It is a much tougher machine than it looks, but look at the big picture what do you really need it for. If you are not going to mow, and space is not an issue ( with loader and back blade fits nicely in my garage), or maneuverability in tight spaces,and you can afford larger then I would go larger so you have greater fel lift capabilities. one last thing to keep in mind you have a lot of home owners out there who bought bx's that really did not need to go there, and you can get a good deal on a lightly used low hour machine ready to be used to its potential.

 

[Egon]

At times I think the BX24 is great and at other times I wish I bought a larger machine. Like today, it cannot break through frozen ground to save its life.

Back in my misspent youth there were many times I saw D9H's sliding around on frozen ground not able to dig in! Of course if they had a ripper on the back it was a little different.

 

[BotaBX24er]

I've had my BX24 for a little over a year and a half (at about 175 hours) and I agree with some others. At times I wish I went a little bit bigger (to cut down on some time), but then there's those times where I was glad I got it (it doesn't leave too many tracks in your yard). True that it has its quirks, but most do, and it takes getting used to it. By far, it's the best package for the price.

I blame it on the economy for the sales also. They are truly luxuries that are "wanted" but not considered "needed" in hard times.

 

[Carl_NH]

This last summer I did major earth works on my back lawn with the loader and box blade. Moved and reshaped approx. 75,000CY.

Usta -wow - your moving Mountains! 75000 Cubic Yards is a lot of dirt - how big is your backyard?

Back to the topic I have the B21 TLB got it before the BX series came out and since the OP already has the B5200 I would think a used B21 might be a better step up. That said its hard to find these with low hrs for the similar price of the BX.

I would go to the dealer and test drive some units and decide from there..

 

[vtras]

WE have a b2230 and love it. Wish we'd gotten it ten years ago. We have a rear mount snow blower, 60 in. box scraper, fel and a 72 inch snowblade for the bucket and have no complaints. I'm 6' 2" and the wife is 5' 6" and she loves driveway work and snoblowing with it. We grade, ditch, spread and transport[she calls it her motorized wheelbarrow] with it. It is even handy as a ladder and staging. Perfect for our needs. Enjoy